Interview: “The opportunities and challenges are completely different in European fintech”

One of the biggest conferences in the US fintech space, Money20/20 Las Vegas, is launching in Europe for the first time this April in a move that speaks to the region’s growing reputation as a launching ground for financial tech startups. The organisers have chosen Copenhagen rather than the perhaps more obvious choice of London, a gesture that points to the fact that European fintech is bigger than the UK capital and highlights the growing strength of different hubs across the region.

During an interview in the Finetics™ Studio by The Bancorp at Money20/20 in Las Vegas, we sat down with Pat Patel, content director at Money20/20 Europe to talk about Europe’s burgeoning fintech scene and what to expect from the show next month.

“For me the most exciting thing is the startups and hubs growing across Europe,” says Patel. “Obviously the natural limelight is on London, but amazing tech hubs are emerging in places like Berlin, Paris, Frankfurt, Copenhagen and Stockholm. You’re seeing fintech startups fundamentally changing traditional payments and banking services

“We’re taking the model that’s made the Vegas show super successful and augmenting that with the European community. We’re thinking long and hard about what makes Europe different – the opportunities and challenges in Europe are completely different than what’s happening in the US marketplace.”

Access more insights on fintech trends in Europe from Kriya Patel, The Bancorp MD of payment solutions in Europe, and many more on The Bancorp’s Finetics blog.